Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1979, Page 26

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Land Tenure, Fowling Rights, and Sharing of the Catch
parts, while, in the bøur, the corresponding lots were scattered
without any obvious pattern. The division into three fowling
parts may have been strictly alluding to the common practice
of fygling being practised on the same places every third year.
In 1839 the sýslumaður (district sheriff) sent a letter to the
amtmaður (provincial governor) arguing for amalgamation of
fowling rights:
»On my last tour, in the month of April, I proposied to the
inhabitants of Skúvoy the amalgamation of the fowling cliffs
as I am convinced that such a measure would, in several ways,
be useful and, without doubt, be the best means to promote
fowling.... Some of the fowling cliffs have not been used
for a number of years....« His points were elaborated by the
amtmaður, in his report to the exchequer:
»Hitherto these fowling cliffs have been divided as the
hagapartar (see above) and several of them have for a long
time remained in disuse, because fowling can be performed
only at certain times of the year and by certain experienced
men. However, when everybody wished to fowl their cliffs
at the same time and to employ the same fowlers, most often
the result will be an opportunity missed, and no catch at
all....«
As long as fygling was performed in Skúvoy there were
reminiscenses of the old divisions, the fowling being practised
by the whole village, in three different parts in succession.
However, fowling from a boat whether hellufuglur or oman-
fleyg was divided into halves similar to the modern division
of the hagi.
From other villages we know that fowling rights were con-
nected with hagapartar (e. g. in Sumba several documents refer
to a division into thirds for fowling, while the hagi was
divided into 9 hagapartar). Likewise, a document from 1768
divides puffin fowling into the so-called »tredinger«s:', i. e.
thirds, existing in the village of Miðvágur, viz. Rygs-, Huse-
and Præstetreding"'. However, there was one exception, since